Aspicularis tetraptera		Contents		Rev 23-10-2025
Mouse Pinworm; Threadworm		Classification
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Aspicularis Menu		Distribution		Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Feeding		Management
Return to Oxyuridae Menu		Biology and Ecology		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Chromadorea
Chromadoria

           Rhabditida 

                       Spirurina

                          Oxyuroidea

                   Oxyuridae

Syphaciinae

 

            Aspicularis tetraptera Nitzch, 1821

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Morphology and Anatomy:

Male:

• Length 1.6-3.7 mm x 110-238 um
• Spicule 68-90 um long, 4.5-6 um wide
• Gubrenaculum transversely directed, 28-34 um long and 6-7.5 um wide.
• Tail 117-170  um long with 3 ventral cuticular bossed or mamalons.

Female:

• Length 2.6-4.5 mm, width 167-272 um; tail 445-675 um long
• Tail 184-550 um
•  Eggs symmetrical, 70-98 x 29-50 um. Embryo undifferentiated in utero.

Ref: Marchiondo, 2020; Omer et al., 2020

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Distribution:

Wordwide, parasite of the crypts of Lieberkuhn of the colon of the house mouse and many other rodents.

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Feeding:

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Hosts:

Mouse and other rodents

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Life Cycle:

Life cycle direct, no intermediate host

• Infective eggs become fully developed in 5-9 days at 27C
• .Larvae develop in the posterior colon for 8 days post infection and then migrate anteriorly by day 11 post-infection.
•  Larvae develop to adults in the lumen of the large intestine and do not invade the mucosa.
• Females lay their eggs in the distal colon. Eggsa are deposited in facas.
•  The prepatent period is 21-25 days (Marchiondo, 2020).

Ecophysiological Parameters:

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Copyright  1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: October 23, 2025.